On the verge of adopting the title of “living legend,” Denzel Washington has amassed two Oscars and ten other nominations, recently dismissed the allure of Academy Awards. The actor, 70, shares a very candid conversation offering insights into his philosophy, one where this quite sincere spirit prefers to pursue personal satisfaction above human-given trophies. Decades of experience allow his unabashed perspective to stand in contrast to the playground for validation that Hollywood has become.
Washington’s Career Beyond Awards
Washington’s indifference to Oscars stems from a 50-year career where he’s learned that awards don’t define success. As he told Jake’s Takes, “I don’t do it for the Oscars. That kind of stuff, I don’t care.”
Winning for Glory (1990) and Training Day (2002), besides having been nominated for films like Malcolm X and The Tragedy of Macbeth, obviously merits his recognition. But he has seen the Academy’s mercurial nature, times he won when he didn’t feel there was a best performance, times he lost when he felt his performance was indisputably brilliant.
Hence, he has a knack for placing value on the work and less on that which is passing. Commenting sarcastically about his Gladiator II snub: “Are you kidding me? Aww. Oh, I’m so upset.”
God’s Reward Over Man’s Award
Washington’s philosophy is very much founded in spirituality. “Man gives the award. God gives the reward” is his mantra, and one that helps keep him mentally grounded. When asked where his Oscars were kept, he nonchalantly replied, “Next to the other one,” emphasising their insignificance to him.
No doubt, the awards will mean nothing “on my last day.” This perspective aligns with his focus on meaningful roles as Highest 2 Lowest, another Spike Lee joint encompassing storytelling of great human substance that is set to stream on Apple TV+ starting September 5.
A Stage Actor at Heart
Washington holds firmly to the idea of being a “Mount Vernon actor,” rather than a Hollywood star, deeply rooted in theater. He told CBS Sunday Morning, “I learned how to act on stage, not on film.” According to Washington, the theater is the actor’s medium, film is the filmmaker’s.
Among his future projects is, quite possibly, Black Panther 3, which goes to show that his loyalty lies with the telling rather than the reinforcement of awards.
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